Splitted internal network LAN
The top target of this "project" is quite to make the opposite of a SME-server!
SME-server is a very good "all-in-one" solution and now I wanted to build a "all-in-many" solution with following specifications:
- achieve at least all the functions implemented into my running SME
- achieve them with at least the same level of security (= no dirty "solution")
Why?
- to learn about networking and security by fully configuring the network and the machines, starting whith an empty server. This can be allways usefull, even for dealing with "all-in-one" solutions.
- to try to do what a professional administrator would do for a compagny that couldn't or wouldn't use SME-server.
- maybe to get more flexibility and "customability" than with the pre-configurated SME.
- to get the best existing solutions to achieve each task. Remember: do only one thing but do it well!
- to run the most recent OS and programms.
- to share "my solutions" with the ones of other people and to get this way the most better solutions
- and... because making things complicated when they can be simple is fully useless and therefore absolutely necessary!!
How?
The hardware:
I quite don't have any hardware to invest into this project and I have to care attentively about the power consumption (electricity doesn't flow naturally out of the plug...). Therefore I decided to run most things into a virtual environment. Only the "box" and the end clients remain physical machines.
In addition, using a virtual environment gives me the maximal flexibility to do, undo, modify, remove things.
The hypervisor is a mini-ITX quadcore PC, with 8GB ram, only 1 "small" (for nowadays!) disk, 2 network interfaces (for WAN and LAN - very important!) and runs Proxmox for OS.
The method:
- step by step, from easy to more complex things
- no solution is fix, all is under evolution to become better
- good documentation!
The particularities:
- I only have 1 connection to the internet. Therefore my box stays in "bridged" mode, redirecting everything to the real SME-Server. The SME will then redirect to the virtual network by setting the domain and the hosts.
- I have a domain (guedel.eu) for the "real" things and another one (guedel.tk) for the virtual network.
Important note: I would be glad to get any knowledge-based comments and to hear that somebody else plays the same game as me.
Don't hesitate to start a new game!